City Schools celebrates Jewish American Heritage Month each May by recognizing the history, culture, and contributions of Jewish Americans to our communities, our City and to the nation. This month offers an opportunity for students, staff, and families to learn about the traditions, achievements, and lived experiences that have helped shape American society.
Jewish American Heritage Month was established to formally recognize the long and lasting contributions of Jewish Americans to the history and culture of the United States. The effort began in the early 2000s, when Jewish organizations and leaders worked to create a national observance similar to other heritage months that celebrate the diversity of the American experience.
In 2005, Congress passed a resolution urging the president to designate a month to honor Jewish American contributions. The following year, in 2006, President George W. Bush issued the first official proclamation declaring May as Jewish American Heritage Month. The selection of May also connects to a significant moment in American Jewish history—the 350th anniversary of Jewish settlement in what would become the United States, dating back to 1654 when Jewish refugees arrived in New Amsterdam (now New York City).
Elementary School
Emma’s Poem: The Voice of the Statue of Liberty — Linda Glaser
I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark — Debbie Levy
Itzhak: A Boy Who Loved the Violin — Tracy Newman
Big Dreams, Small Fish — Paula Cohen
The Spy Who Played Baseball — Carrie Jones
Middle School
Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword — Barry Deutsch
The Many Mysteries of the Finkel Family — Sarah Kapit
This Is Just a Test — Madelyn Rosenberg and Wendy Wan-Long Shang
The Length of a String — Elissa Brent Weissman
High School
Just a Hat — S. Khubiar
Leaving the Station — Jake Maia Arlow
The Blood Years — Elana K. Arnold
The Life and Crimes of Hoodie Rosen — Isaac Blum
The Hired Girl — Laura Amy Schlitz
Etta Cone and Dr. Claribel Cone, known as the Cone sisters, were daughters of German-Jewish immigrants in Baltimore. They graduated from Western High School and went on to make lasting contributions to culture and public life.
Claribel Cone became a physician and medical researcher, while Etta Cone focused on building their shared art collection. Together, they assembled one of the most important collections of modern art in the United States, including works by Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso. Their collection was later donated to the Baltimore Museum of Art, where it remains a major part of the museum’s collection and a lasting contribution to Baltimore’s cultural history.